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Unisaw question - kscott - 11-25-2019

My nearly 20 YO uni has a problem. When I hit the on button the blade does not spin. It goes back and forth a few times and then something in the on/off switch trips. If I remove the switch cover and press the on lever it starts fine. I noticed that there is a little blue button that pops out when the switch cover is removed. If I hold that in the problem is replicated. I am guessing that it is a capacitor (condenser for us OLD guys) issue but I'm not sure. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Ken


RE: Unisaw question - Bob Vaughan - 11-26-2019

Two single phase motor conditions cause the  starting problem you describe.  One, or course, is a bad capacitor but the other is a dirty centrifugal switch contact that controls the electricity flow to the capacitor.

[attachment=21951]
Contacts on a WEG Unisaw motor.


RE: Unisaw question - mike4244 - 11-26-2019

(11-25-2019, 09:31 AM)kscott Wrote: My nearly 20 YO uni has a problem.  When I hit the on button the blade does not spin.  It goes back and forth a few times and then something in the on/off switch trips.  If I remove the switch cover and press the on lever it starts fine.  I noticed that there is a little blue button that pops out when the switch cover is removed.  If I hold that in the problem is replicated.  I am guessing that it is a capacitor (condenser for us OLD guys) issue but I'm not sure.  Any ideas?
Thanks,
Ken

When you removed the cover did you see any remnants  of a the back of the start button? The start and stop buttons when pushed contact the button or lever that makes contact. The button itself may have failed due no contact because the button is broken. Remove the green start button temporarily and replace it with the red stop one. If the saw runs well then order just the button, not a new switch. 
I fixed my saw with a golf tee cut short and glued to the back of the broken button. This temporary fix is still holding  today, about 15 years later.
New button I ordered is sitting in a drawer somewhere.
mike